


A Reason To Smile

by x_GlitterGun_x (SmokySky)



Category: Titans (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Cuddles Help Everything, Drabble, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Jason Todd Has Issues, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Jason Todd is Robin, Near Death Experiences, Nightmares, Post-Season/Series 02, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:27:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23789305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmokySky/pseuds/x_GlitterGun_x
Summary: Jason is still having nightmares. Luckily, he also has someone to help him through the night when he wakes up.
Relationships: Jason Todd/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 31





	A Reason To Smile

**Author's Note:**

> Between Titans and Under the Red Hood, Jason is one of my favourite Batman characters, and after re-watching Titans I just wanted him to have a happy ending - so here we go. There's no point to this. It's just a happy ending for Jason.

_The air was lashing against the skin of his face: sharp enough to cut, tearing the flesh from his face as the ground rose up to meet him._

_Jason screwed his eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable pain of his body smashing into the pavement - but it never came. He was still falling, still feeling the wind burning his face, body aching from his muscles tension in anticipation of colliding with the ground._

_He opened his eyes, only to see he was still falling, still far above the ground, just falling, watching the ground loom higher and higher and the windows blurring past him in an endless free-fall that never ended._

_He screamed, he cried out for Dick and Bruce, for his mom, for anyone to catch him, but no-one did. He just kept falling._

_Falling, falling, falling._

* * *

Waking up in a blind panic, Jason bolted upright in bed, panting and fighting the urge to sob in a sickening mixture of terror and relief.

He was safe. He was in his apartment. In his room. In his bed. He wasn't falling. He was safe.

Running his hands through his hair, Jason took a took a slow, deep inhale through his nose, holding the oxygen in his lungs until his chest started to burn, before slowly exhaling through his mouth.

Even though he knew he was no longer asleep, Jason still felt like he was falling. The bottom of his stomach dropped out and his heart pounded, and if he closed his eyes he swore he could still feel the air lashing against his skin. There was no escaping the nightmare, even when he stared into the darkness of the room: eyes fixed on the shadowy reflection of the bed in the mirror opposite.

Seeing the blankets stir next to him, Jason clenched his eyes shut, cheeks heating in embarrassment as his bedmate sleepily sat up next to him, reaching out to rest her hand on his shoulder. As ashamed of himself as he was, Jason couldn't help but lean into her touch. It was embarrassing as fuck, being so needy for something as simple as a hand on his shoulder, but goddamn it - it was probably the only thing that helped when he woke up from a nightmare.

"You okay?"

Jason laughed harshly, not needing to answer that question.

His bedmate didn't take his response to heart, just 'hmmed' softly: "You wanna talk about it?"

"No."

"You wanna go back to sleep?"

Jason shook his head: "No fucking way."

Despite his harsh tone, Niamh didn't kick him out of bed. Instead she leaned against his back, the heat of her body soaking into his skin through the thin cotton of her t-shirt, warming him just as much as the feeling of her arms wrapping around his waist. He rested a trembling hand on her forearm where it was pressed against his abdomen, trying to let her know he was grateful for her presence, even if he was shit at saying it.

He was shit at a lot of things when it came to Niamh, but he was trying to be better. Even if he couldn't manage it when his hands were still shaking, he'd make it up to her, because he appreciated this so fucking much.

She was the only thing that made him feel like he wasn't still in free-fall.

He appreciate that Niamh didn't make him speak about things he didn't want to: that she didn't push to make him 'stronger' or 'better at handling his emotions' by telling him to pull himself together: that she would wake up and just cuddle against his back until he was ready to lay back down - and then she'd wrap herself around him, until he could turn and bury his face in her shoulder and force himself get back to sleep. Not that it was all that hard, Niamh always stayed awake with him, running her fingers through his hair until the repetitive rise and fall of her chest under his head and the sound of her heartbeat lulled him back to sleep.

Slowly, the feeling of falling started abate, and Jason felt like he could breath again without having to concentrate on it.

"'M sorry. For snapping." Jason breathed, finally feeling able to talk again.

He felt Niamh shrug: "'S'okay. Know you're not being a twat."

Jason smiled, soothed by Niamh's tendency to be blunt as fuck: "You still don't deserve it."

Sitting up from where she was leaning, Niamh reached out to cup Jason's cheek and gently turned his face so he was looking her in the eye: "I'm not upset with you because you were a bit short after you had a bad dream. It's okay, Jason."

"It's not. I need to be stronger."

"You don't with me." Niamh whispered, pulling Jason down until he was laying down with his head on her chest, her arms wrapped around his shoulders and her fingers running through his hair.

Jason didn't fight her, or the warm feeling that seeped into his bones at the feeling of being wrapped up in Niamh. It was a long way from the cold grasp of the nightmare: the solid feeling of Niamh, real and alive in Jason's arms, was more grounding than anything else.

Even as the nightmare tried to dig it's claws into him, the sound of the wind whispering at the edge of his hearing, Jason felt Niamh's nails scrape lightly against the back of his neck, just under his hairline, making him shiver and smile against her t-shirt as the nightmare dissipated at the feeling of her nails on his skin. He hummed softly, closing his eyes and burying his face in her t-shirt as she continued to run her fingers over the back of his neck and up into his hair, over and over again, until he slowly slipped back into a - _thankfully dreamless_ \- sleep.

* * *

The next time Jason woke up, it was to the feeling of sunlight beating down on his back, warming him through his t-shirt.

Slowly, he opened his eyes to see Niamh still sleeping beside him, bright red hair spread over the grey pillow cases, the early morning sunlight painting her pale skin golden, highlighting her freckles and the small scar just next to the right corner of her lip. The most beautiful sight Jason had ever seen.

He was so lucky he had found her. And so lucky she had decided to keep him.

Leaning up to kiss her, Jason left the bed to go and make her breakfast. She might not expect anything to make up for him waking her up for the hundredth time, but no matter how often she told him, he would never stop trying to make it up to her. It wasn't a struggle, Niamh never demanded anything Jason wasn't eager to give her, and when he felt two arms wrap around his waist, there was no sense of dread, just butterflies in his stomach. Even when the nights were bad, with mornings like this, Jason always had a reason to smile - because he had Niamh.

His reason to smile.


End file.
